Huawei P20 Lite Review: A P20 without labels

Since the grand Huawei P20 series launch in Paris last March, the attention has been on the Huawei P20 Pro. Of course, the top dog gets the spotlight it deserves. Amidst the praises Huawei is getting, it seems like people are forgetting that there’s a shy midrange variant in the series. A variant that doesn’t have any camera branding and high price tag — the Huawei P20 Lite.

The P20 Lite joins the slew of new midrange phones to be released in the market. It follows in the footsteps of the Mate 10 Lite which is also known as the Nova 2i or Honor 9i in certain regions.

It has a 5.84-inch FullView display

With a 19:9 ratio and Full HD+ resolution

The infamous notch makes an appearance

It’s for the front camera, sensors, notification light, and earpiece

There’s a bit of a chin for the Huawei label

No fingerprint reader on the front

To the right are the physical keys

Short one for power, long one for volume

While on the left is the hybrid card slot

Either have a second SIM or a microSD card

There’s nothing to see up top…

Just the noise-canceling microphone

… because everything is down below

The audio port, USB-C, and loudspeaker all together as usual

The back definitely looks a Lite version of the P20

No Leica branding — just “Dual Lens”

The dual camera module protrudes outside

A nice touch but a bit prone to scratches

Common design of the P20 series

The trio of P20 devices from Huawei share a common design with just slight adjustments to distinguish each. For the P20 Lite, you can tell it apart due to the rear placement of the fingerprint reader and lack of Leica branding. This gives the P20 Lite the advantage of having a clean front with just the Huawei name sitting on the chin.

With a display measuring 5.84 inches (display sizes are getting very unusual lately) and bezel-less design, I find the P20 Lite easier to handle than other phones with a similar display size. The better ergonomics of the device can also be attributed to its rounded metal frame and smooth glass back. Compared to the Mate 10 Lite’s (or Nova 2i) all-metal design, the P20 Lite looks more stylish. If you don’t mind wiping off the smudges every now and then, the P20 Lite will appeal to you more.

The notch is not visible when the display is turned off, but there’s a way to hide it even during usage. In the settings, just head to the Notch menu under Display and you can choose to use the default setting that fully extends the screen’s real estate up to the notch (app compatibility varies, though) or just hide it. The upper portion will then just act like an extra display for notifications, system icons, date, and time.

Huawei has a clever trick that addresses my concern about notched displays. When in landscape orientation, the interface automatically eliminates the use of the pixels beside the notch. This will give you an unobstructed interface in any app, may it be games, video streaming, or even system apps like Settings or Gallery.

Performance is still the same

The P20 Lite is powered by the Kirin 659 — Huawei’s go-to home-baked processor for their midrange phones. It’s also the same processor found in the Mate 10 Lite (or Nova 2i), which is pretty disappointing. Why? Because there’s no significant performance boost even though the P20 Lite is the latest from Huawei. That’s not saying the Kirin 659 is a bad processor but a new phone should have a better processor, especially since it’s part of the latest P20 series.

The unit I have for review has the highest configuration possible for the P20 Lite with 4GB of memory and 128GB of storage. The hybrid card slot accepts a microSD card just in case 128GB is not enough to store your files.

If you’re looking for a gaming phone, the P20 Lite might not be the best option in this range. The gaming side of the Kirin 659 is handled by the Mali-T830 MP2, a fairly okay graphics unit. What I mean by that is it can run games but not in their best state. PUBG Mobile runs in low settings while NBA 2K18 has to be somewhere in between low and medium. Still, it can play older graphics-intensive games in max settings like Asphalt Xtreme.

Android Oreo-based EMUI 8.0 is available out of the box which means you have the latest software Huawei has to offer. EMUI doesn’t differ that much from other Chinese-made interfaces that blend together iOS and Android experiences. For one, the app drawer is off by default, so the apps are available right on the home screen. The icons look a bit too playful for my liking, but I eventually got used to them. I must say though, EMUI 8.0 feels cluttered with inconsistent icons — some are rounded while some are squared. I hope Huawei comes up with a better UI soon which should be available as an update.

No quad-cameras, no Leica

One might mistake the P20 Lite as the regular P20 at first glance. That’s because they do look alike but the former has no Leica branding. Still, the P20 Lite is a capable phone for mobile photography. It has dual rear cameras — a combo of 16 and 2 megapixels with bokeh mode available.

Too bad the secondary sensor is just for analyzing depth in the image — not to shoot monochrome, extreme wide-angle, or for telephoto imaging. There are multiple modes available including “Pro photo” to manually set the camera settings.

Here are the samples from the rear camera:

The front camera is also equipped with a 16-megapixel sensor which easily makes the P20 Lite a contender in the selfie race. Like with other selfie-centric phones, the P20 Lite has built-in beauty mode but Huawei’s approach is more simple with just an option to choose from Level 1 to 10. A number of cute stickers are also available in the camera app.

Even without any Leica label to brag about, the P20 Lite can hold up on its own. The rear set captures good-looking images both in well-lit and low-light environments. Don’t expect it to excel in the dark, though; the f/2.2 aperture is not enough to make it see more than competing phones with a bright lens opening. Of course, the selfies are top-notch thanks to the number of megapixels the front sensor has. The beauty mode is a bit behind against OPPO’s and Vivo’s new midrange phones, but it works just fine.

Fast-charging and long-lasting

A sizeable 3000mAh battery is sealed inside the body of the phone. Through the USB-C port, the battery supports Huawei’s own fast charging technology. Thankfully, the phone comes with an 18W fast charger, so there’s no need to purchase a separate one. A quick 15-minute charge was able to give 17 percent of power while charging the phone for an hour provides up to 53 percent. A full charge took more than two hours — longer than expected.

A phone with a 3000mAh capacity should be able to last the whole day, and the P20 Lite definitely can. With my usage, a full charge lasted a whole day and that includes about four hours of screen on time. That’s also with mobile data and Wi-Fi turned on, making phone calls, social networking, music streaming, and picture taking. My everyday phone use is already considered heavy; with lighter usage the P20 Lite can even last longer.

Is this your GadgetMatch?

Unlike with the V9 and the F7, the P20 Lite is not much of an improvement from last year’s model. The phone might not be the direct successor of the Mate 10 Lite or Nova 2i, but I would have loved to see a spec bump rather than just a design overhaul.

Well, if you value design more, the P20 Lite’s premium build is its key selling point. It basically has the body of the regular P20 but with midrange specifications. The black variant I have here looks sleek and handsome, but there’s also a feminine option in Sakura Pink and a striking Klein Blue.

Fitbit Versa Review: Real arm candy

Before I get on with this review, let me paint you a more accurate picture of how I use smartwatches plus my short history with Fitbit.

I’m moderately active and I do try to be more fit by gyming and doing high-intensity interval training, but I’m not the most consistent person. On days that things get busy, or when I travel, I mostly forget about my health goals only to remember later on when I start feeling like a sack of potatoes because of all the inactivity.

I usually have a wearable as I’ve found that guilting myself to exercise can be an effective way to get my lazy butt to the gym; I loved my time with the Fitbit Alta HR which was the first fitness tracker I actually stuck with (at least by my standards). For a health tracking beginner (which I was at that point, and probably still am considering I haven’t really been true to my fitness goals), the Fitbit app was a great and easy way to check out my stats.

This newest release, the Versa, is small, sleek, and cute with its rose gold face. This is the Fitbit wearable I was waiting for.

Here are my thoughts on this device.

Look and feel

In the looks department, this wearable is a definite departure from the previously released Ionic. I can tell you now that the one deal-breaker I had with that watch is how it looks. Surely, I couldn’t be expected to wear that clunky thing 24/7?

The Versa is looking good

The Fitbit Versa, on the other hand, is something I could get on board with, in fact, it hasn’t left my wrist in the last weeks I’ve had it. It’s light, sleek, and it comes in rose gold! It matches everything I own, which is a definite plus for me.

I own a lot of stuff in pink and purple 😅

My unit is the special edition Versa that came with a cute purple woven straps and basic black silicone straps, both of which I’ve loved so far. I do get a little jealous of the pink silicone strap that the standard edition Versa came with, though replacement straps are also available in a number of styles and colors.

Matches most of my #OOTDs

There are three different face options: Rose gold if you’re a fan of color, like me, and black or gray, if you’re looking for a more neutral look.

Special edition Versas pictured above are equipped with Fitbit Pay

I’m honestly feeling pretty confident with this Fitbit look. Most outfits can and will match the Versa aesthetic.

Navigation and OS

There are three buttons for navigation and you can also navigate via gestures or tapping around on the touchscreen. Swipe down for phone notifications, up for the day’s fitness statistics, and left to get to the menu. Both buttons on the right act as customizable shortcut buttons and the left button acts as a home or back button.

Although the screen is bright and colors are punchy, there’s still a tiny lag when you wake the screen and its raise to wake function isn’t as sensitive as I’d like. When you get past this, however, navigating through menus is a breeze.

It still works the same way: The watch connects to the Fitbit app on your phone and the app allows you to better customize settings on your device. It also gives you a better and more detailed breakdown of the info you have.

Like I mentioned earlier, the Fitbit app is my first ever fitness tracking app. I personally love it for its ease and simplicity. On this app, all health info gathered is presented in a way that’s understandable, even for a beginner. It runs on both Android and iOS so there are definitely #noexcuses for slacking off.

What can it do?

Like other Fitbit wearables, the Versa will track everything you do — from number of steps, to active minutes or exercise, calories burned, sleep, and even your continuous heartbeat. You can input your food, water, and caffeine intake on the app so you can keep tabs on that, too. You can also set and customize daily goals in the app to make sure you’re reminded of your fitness aspirations and get moving.

My usual workout view

For those who aren’t so versed in what workouts and exercises, the Versa has a built-in coach that gives you quick, timed exercises you can start with. Yes, the watch will literally show you what to do and time you as you go through the workout.

Waiting for the Versa to vibrate!

You can also set up exercise shortcuts for 7 activities you’d want to track. I love that interval training is one of them. I used to need my phone and a separate app that timed my home HIIT exercise, but now, I only need the Versa. It guides me through my workout with mild vibrations everytime a set is done and automatically records everything when I’m done.

Now, on good days, I get my butt up and work on my serotonin levels. But, let’s be real: I’m not made to be pumped up about working out on all days. Some days (note: most of them), I still have to force myself. This is where Fitbit Labs comes in. The “Fitbit Research initiative” creates fun apps and watch faces that will help you get moving. A favorite of mine are these pet faces — yes, these virtual pets get sad and hungry when you don’t feed it food that you earn from steps or moving.

It’s like a Tamagotchi you feed with steps

Amazingly, the promise of 4-day battery life holds true. Despite all these functions, my watch has consistently lasted me 4 days, or even more when notification alerts are turned off.

Fitbit OS 2.0: What’s new?

This month, Fitbit 2.0 rolled out. A quick update will give you the new Fitbit OS but be warned: The process takes time and it can get glitchy. It took me a few tries and the realization that connecting my Versa directly to the WiFi is the best way to go about updating.

Two most notable new features are quick replies and female health tracking. I’ve been particularly excited about the latter as I’ve long wanted an all-around health app that integrates my menstrual cycle. Unfortunately, this feature is only available on iPhones as of now. Fitbit says Android support is coming soon, hopefully.

Quick replies, on the other hand, allow you to reply to messages straight from your Versa. These replies, however, are limited to pre-set messages that you can customize per app. This feature is only available on Android devices as Apple doesn’t allow that level of customization (boo). Cool as this feature may be, it still has to be pointed out that other smartwatches have allowed for custom replies for a while now. Thing is, I never really ever reply using my smartwatch — because why would I even bother struggling with that tiny screen, I just get on my phone — so this didn’t really bother me.

Is the Fitbit Versa for you?

I’ve always said that wearables, especially ones you use for fitness tracking, need to be on you at all times to be able to do its job well. This has always proved to be a struggle for me as I’ve only seen a handful that look nice enough to wear every day with my different outfit moods. The Versa seems designed to overcome this personal daily wear struggle: It’s cute enough, it’s light, and it packs enough battery power. These are the same reasons why this thing is on my wrist, still.

Worth it to note though, that there are still a number of things that can be improved on this device: A higher level of customization, more compatible apps, fewer screen lags, and an easier update process.

The thing is, despite all these flaws, the Fitbit Versa ticks most of my tiny boxes. I’m not the most exacting when it comes to smartwatch functions and I just need my basics covered when it comes to fitness tracking. All things considered, I enjoy wearing this thing a lot. If your priorities are the same as mine, the Versa is worth checking out.

Nokia 7 Plus Review: The Android One midranger

After making it my daily driver for a week, I can now finally share my review of the Nokia 7 Plus — HMD Global’s latest bet in the upper-midrange segment. If you think Android One is just a label to make budget phones appealing to the software update-conscious consumers, think again. Times have changed; the Nokia 7 Plus is an Android One phone with more than enough power to compete with flagship devices.

Without further ado, let’s dive into the Nokia 7 Plus starting with the physical aspect of the phone.

Up front is the beautiful 6-inch Full HD+ display

It’s surrounded by minimal bezels but it’s definitely not borderless

The top portion has the earpiece, sensors, front camera, and Nokia logo

There’s no LED notification light, but it has an ambient display

The sides are made of copper including the volume and power buttons

The sides are pretty sharp while in hand

The hybrid card tray is on the left

No triple card slot here

On top is the 3.5mm headphone port

The legacy port is present!

At the bottom are the microphone, USB-C port, and loudspeaker

The loudspeaker is just mono. ☹

There are two cameras and a rounded fingerprint reader on the back

Zero antenna lines

The back is sleek with copper accents for the cameras and scanner

The accent makes the phone look sophisticated

Utilitarian but has a nice touch

When Nokia came back to life under the helm of HMD Global, the phones they have been releasing so far are utilitarian in design except for the Nokia 8 Sirocco. There’s nothing wrong with that since the build quality of new Nokia phones is top-notch. The Nokia 7 Plus is not that different with the use of 6000-series aluminum, but they did try to make the phone stand out by lining the sides with copper. Both the black and white models have a similar finish with a ceramic-like coating which is a nice touch and certainly makes the handset feel grippy in hand. Also, there are no unsightly antenna lines on the back.

The device sports a 6-inch IPS LCD with an 18:9 aspect ratio. It has a Full HD+ resolution, so it’s sharp but not the sharpest around especially at this size. As an added bonus, it’s protected by Gorilla Glass 3 against minor scratches. The display is vibrant and can get pretty bright, making it usable even when under bright sunlight. Gaming and video streaming are also immersive thanks to the tall aspect ratio. It’s not exactly as bezel-less as other phones, but at least it doesn’t have a notch.

Android One with even more speed

When Android One was introduced four years ago, it was designed to give a Nexus-like (or Pixel-like) Android experience. True to Google’s promise, they were able to deliver smooth Android performance even for phones under US$ 150 like the Cherry Mobile One G1. Fast forward to 2018, the entry-level segment is now covered by Android Go and Android One is now also available for midrange and premium handsets just like the Nokia 7 Plus. If you’re confused about the difference between the two, we have an explainer which you can read here.

The Nokia 7 Plus is powered by a Snapdragon 660 processor, making it an upper-midrange phone in terms of processing power. It’s more powerful than most midrange handsets and currently has the same chipset architecture as flagship devices. Paired with 4GB of memory and 64GB of storage, it’s a truly capable phone that can take a beating. Did I mention it’s powered by pure Android software?

Gaming performance is handled by the Adreno 512, a flagship-grade graphics unit for Snapdragon processors. As expected, the Nokia 7 Plus can render high frame rates even with graphics-intensive titles. My staple benchmark game — Asphalt Xtreme — easily ran on the highest settings. I also tested Modern Combat 5 and Riptide GP: Renegade which both ran smoothly even with graphics settings cranked up.

Zeiss optics on both sides

While Huawei has a partnership with Leica, Nokia has Zeiss — at least to create their lenses. The popular duo from the good old days of the N Series is back and the Nokia 7 Plus has Zeiss optics on both its front and back cameras. The dual camera setup on the phone’s back is a 12- and 13-megapixel combo with the former having a bright f/1.8 lens and the latter owning 2x optical zoom.

We have high expectations from the Nokia 7 Plus’ shooters due to the Zeiss label and thankfully, they don’t disappoint — most of the time. Shooting photos with the main camera is a no-brainer and every photo I take comes out nice, may it be under the bright sun or in the dark. Unfortunately, the Live Bokeh feature uses the secondary sensor which has a smaller aperture thus darker images, especially in low-light.

Even though it’s not branded as a selfie-centric phone, the Nokia 7 Plus should be part of the growing list. The 16-megapixel front camera is an amazing selfie shooter sans the beauty mode. I prefer taking selfies without the beauty filter and bokeh on. Simply check out the samples above.

One for the road

Another fantastic trait of the Nokia 7 Plus is its battery life. New phones with taller aspect ratios get bigger displays but their battery capacities usually remain the same — not the Nokia 7 Plus. Inside the phone is a 3800mAh cell which is impressively big considering the phone’s slim profile.

As a daily driver, the Nokia 7 Plus is reliable especially if you need to be constantly connected online. I have my Wi-Fi and mobile data always on, as always, and still, the phone was able to get me through my whole day. A full charge was able to last for almost 16 straight hours. My usage includes hours of gaming, social media, and web browsing with messaging apps that keep buzzing on the side. I’d say my time with the Nokia 7 Plus has been busier than the usual and good thing it can keep up.

The phone drains slowly, but it charges pretty fast! Using the bundled fast charger, I was able to top up 20 percent in just 15 minutes and about 45 percent in half an hour. A full charge takes two hours because the charging rate slows down to avoid overheating.

Is this your GadgetMatch?

I can’t think of any direct competitor to the Nokia 7 Plus, making it an easy choice when looking for a great midrange Android phone that has nearly everything. It’s truly a practical phone for just PhP 21,990 in the Philippines or INR 25,999 in India. It’s a bit more expensive in other regions like in the UK (GBP 350), but it can still be considered affordable compared to the likes of the Samsung Galaxy A8+ (2018).

The position of the Nokia 7 Plus is a bit tricky since it’s more expensive than the usual midrange Android category which is currently dominated by the Vivo V9, OPPO F7, ASUS ZenFone 5, and Huawei P20 Lite. If you can spend a bit more cash, you should definitely check out the Nokia 7 Plus. It’s got a more powerful processor, capable cameras, long battery life, and most importantly, Android One software. If there’s anything that other phones can’t offer, it’s the sustained software updates. Actually, I just got my monthly security patch while writing this review.

ASUS ZenFone Max (M1) Review

These days, you’d be pressed to find a smartphone with poor battery life. We’ve come to a point wherein every new handset can last a full day’s worth of usage without the assistance of a power bank.

But every now and then, we have these big-battery devices that come along and make our super-slim phones feel inadequate. The latest smartphone to do so is the ASUS ZenFone Max (M1), and it’s pleasantly affordable.

Yet despite also being the smallest with a 5.5-inch 720p 18:9 screen and weight of only 150 grams, the ZenFone Max still has a large 4000mAh battery, which is more than what you’d get from bigger, more premium phones like the Samsung Galaxy S9+ and Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S.

And unlike the ZenFone Max Plus which employs a run-of-the-mill MediaTek processor, the new ZenFone Max is equipped with a Snapdragon 430 chipset that’s both fast enough for everyday tasks and highly efficient at squeezing out every ounce of energy from the battery.

When put together, the ZenFone Max has some of the best battery endurance I’ve gotten out of a smartphone this year. Getting five hours of screen-on time till the next morning is the absolute minimum out of a single charge, and that’s when the phone is beaten to the ground with gaming and constant camera usage while mobile data is active.

Reducing the abuse can give you get you up to six hours of screen time. I tried going for six and a half the other day, but it required me going offline half the time and leaving the camera alone — two things I can’t avoid in my day-to-day routine. Still, you can’t go wrong with an average of six hours across two days; that’s way above the standard four to 4.5 hours of much more expensive devices.

All this for a phone that’s only PhP 8,995 in the Philippines or approximately US$ 175 when converted. This places the ZenFone Max snugly in the budget-friendly category while maintaining its world-beating battery efficiency. The previous Max series phone in this price range was the ZenFone 4 Max, which has had a long stay in our Best Smartphones list.

And it’s not like the ZenFone Max skimps on basic features like a fingerprint sensor (there’s one at the back) and triple-card tray for two SIM cards and one microSD at the same time. There’s even facial recognition using the front camera to unlock the phone, and it’s way faster than what we experienced on the ZenFone Max Plus.

So… large battery, efficient processor, low price, all the features you need — are we missing anything?

It’s difficult to complain about anything at this price point, but if I were to nitpick, there are a few things that could be done better.

For one, the highest configuration you can get has 3GB of memory and 32GB of storage. While the latter can easily be expanded through a microSD card, the limited memory can potentially slow down the experience, especially since its processor isn’t that fast.

Even though the ZenFone Max comes with Android 8.0 Oreo with the latest version of ASUS’ ZenUI skin, the interface can get laggy and slow when you need it most. I noticed stuttering when going from heavy app to heavy app like Facebook to YouTube, and games like Asphalt Xtreme and Final Fantasy: Pocket Edition needed their graphics settings put on low to play smoothly.

Once you do drain the battery completely, charging it to full takes a long time — over three hours to be exact. The package comes with a fast charger that can only output at 10 watts; I tried a faster charger that goes up to 18 watts, but I still had to wait for more than three hours from zero to a hundred percent. In addition, the ZenFone Max relies on an outdated micro-USB port instead of the newer USB-C.

Lastly, and I’m sure you expected this, the cameras aren’t that good. There’s a useful dual-camera setup on the back with one regular 13-megapixel sensor and another 8-megapixel shooter with a much wider lens to fit more inside a frame. Unfortunately, they can’t create great images without enough daylight.

Here are some samples:

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As soon as light becomes scarce, the image quality quickly goes down. You lose details in the darker regions of a photo and blurriness overcomes sharpness. It’s also important to note that the extra-wide rear camera takes lower-quality shots compared to the main shooter. The same can be said for the selfies of its 13-megapixel front camera; take them with sufficient light or not at all.

Is this your GadgetMatch?

From the get-go, having a big-battery smartphone priced below US$ 200 is an instant winner. Everything else the ZenFone Max (M1) adds — such as the efficient chipset and dual rear cameras — simply improve on the already-complete package.

I can highly recommend the ZenFone Max to those who need a handset that can last for two days with juice left to spare. As long as you don’t need a dedicated camera replacement or high-end mobile gaming device, you’d have a tough time finding a better deal.

Alternatively, the ZenFone Max Pro (M1) is a more lucrative deal if it’s available in your country. It comes with a pure version of Android, a much faster chipset, and both a bigger screen and battery capacity. However, if you can’t wait and would rather spend less, the regular Max should be just as good as any other bet.